


Memorandum

by PrairieDawn



Series: Notes From Starbase 4 [1]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Don't you wish you could get away with writing like this at work?, Epistolary, Gen, Rants, Things that fall out of my head and have to go somewhere, Time period is the early 2380s Post Dominion War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 23:32:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12736554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrairieDawn/pseuds/PrairieDawn
Summary: This is a rant conceived in response to a discussion (among my nursing students) of sterile technique as NOT practiced properly on doctor shows.  The product described does not exist in the canon, but it probably does exist in some form in universe, and if it doesn't it should.





	Memorandum

To: Starbase Four Patient Care Team  
From: Dr. Elinor Poirier  
CC: Chief Medical Officer Xelhi, Head Nurse Rish Halasah

Subject: Procontact Gloves are for LMTs only!

Hello Everybody,

I would like to remind you all AGAIN that the Procontact gloves belong to the LMT staff ONLY. T’Sira sent a message out to you just last week detailing the need to reserve those gloves for the people who need them, but apparently she was too logical and polite for you, so it’s my turn.

Lemme tell you a story. Three days ago a gentleman of unknown species was referred for emergency surgery after having been recovered by the USS Geneva. Scans indicated he might not tolerate any of the standard neural inhibitor settings or chemical anaesthetics, so a member of the LMT team was called in to telepathically mediate anaesthesia. When the team member went to retrieve his Procontact exam gloves, someone had used them AND left the box on top of the cooler, ruining the rest of the gloves inside. The team member had to mediate anaesthesia without gloves, thus compromising the sterile field and exposing himself and the patient to potential infection. As a result, both he and the patient had to undergo decontamination post-procedure. The patient reacted to the disinfecting gel and developed a subsequent rash on what we will for lack of a better term refer to as his face. YOUR CARELESSNESS AFFECTS PATIENT OUTCOMES!

Things you clearly do not know:

1\. The Procontact gloves are costly, not covered by Starfleet medical requisition allowances, cannot be replicated, and are a pain in the ass to get through Customs. The four LMTs on staff pool personal allowances to obtain them.

2\. The Procontact gloves are made of genetically engineered collagenized fungal cells with the transmission characteristics of humanoid skin. They contain living cells and are perishable. They MUST be stored in the cooler.

3\. The Procontact gloves do not work better on touchscreens than nitrile, and you shouldn’t be using touchscreens with gloves on anyway. Touchscreens are filthy.

4\. If you feel like the Procontact gloves help you get a better feel for patients, then don’t just “borrow” them. Put some latinum in the kitty, for Glob’s sake. Also, if they do work better for you than regular gloves, then your esper rating is probably higher than 180, so let’s get you certified. Starbase 4 is the biggest space based medical facility in the Federation. We could use more qualified people on our team.

Thank you for your attention.

Dr. Poirier


End file.
